ABC’s ‘Wonderful World of Disney’ to Air Beloved Disney+ Films All-Month Long

ABC is following in CBS’ footsteps by airing a batch of beloved Disney movies in the next month to fill up time-slots left empty after several shows ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. The network will air four Disney movies on the last two Wednesday nights of May and the first two Wednesdays of June. The broadcasts will be branded under the Wonderful World of Disney banner, and will be a cross-promotion with Disney+ as all four movies are available on the streaming platform.

The first movie will be Moana, which airs on Wednesday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The 2016 animated film has already been embraced by Disney fans as among the studio’s best of the past decade. It earned Oscar nominations for the song “How Far I’ll Go” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and was nominated for Best Animated Feature. Auli’i Cravalho voices the title character, a Polynesian princess who teams up with Demigod Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) on an unforgettable journey. The cast also includes Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House and Temuera Morrison.

Thor: The Dark World is up next on Wednesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. ET. It is the only live-action movie among the bunch and is the second Marvel movie to feature Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder. It’s not clear why Disney would pick one of the worst Marvel movies for this slot, but perhaps it just comfortably fits in a two-hour slot with commercials. Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins also star.

Up airs Wednesday, June 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The Pixar film is one of only three animated movies ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the 2010 Oscars. Ed Asner stars as Carl Fredericksen, a 78-year-old man who ties balloons to his house to fly to South America. Jordan Nagai voices Russell, the “Wilderness Explorer” who tags along for the ride.

Lastly, Disney will air Big Hero 6 on Wednesday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET. The film was the first Disney Animation Studios production based on Marvel Comics characters and won Best Animated Feature at the 2015 Oscars. It features the voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, Jamie Cung, Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell and Damon Wayans Jr.

With most scripted shows ending their seasons early, the networks have been desperate for content to air. On Sunday, CBS kicked off its “Sunday Night At The Movies” revival by airing Raiders of the Lost Ark. Forrest Gump, Mission: Impossible, Titanic and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will each air on the remaining Sunday nights in May.